May 10, 2023

Are you following God's lead?

Numbers 9

Shannon Batson
Wednesday's Devo

May 10, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 10, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 10, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 10, 2023

Big Idea

God reveals the way and His will through His Word.

Key Verse | Numbers 9:17-18

And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.

Numbers 9

The Passover Celebrated

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. 6 And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the LORD's offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” 8 And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.”

9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the LORD. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. 13 But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the LORD's offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”

The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle

15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day 1 9:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks by day and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.

Footnotes

[1] 9:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks by day

S2:088 Numbers 9

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Numbers 9

In Numbers 9, a form of the word command or the phrase the command of the LORD is used nine times. A good practice when you are reading a passage of Scripture is to observe when things are repeated and ask yourself why. In this case, it's clear that the Lord wants the Israelites to follow Him.

The Lord is guiding the Israelites by a cloud over the tabernacle. This is like the way He first guided them out of Egypt (Exodus 13:21-22). By day, it's a cloud of the Lord's presence, and at night, it looks like fire. They see the tabernacle at the center of their camp with the cloud over it, and then they move when the cloud lifts and stay when it stays, showing a dependence on the Lord and His direction.

I personally love the imagery of the Lord guiding the Israelites in physical ways so that they can see Him move. In my early adulthood when I wanted a clear path forward, I would often say, "I wish the Lord would just show me a burning bush." The truth was that I wasn't actually praying and trusting what the Lord was asking of me. I often think I can do everything in my own strength and can easily move forward without the Lord. But what an amazing picture in this passage of the physical presence of the Lord! The passage also reveals that the Israelites were trusting that He was guiding them where He wanted them to be, and they continued to follow Him as He showed His faithfulness.

As followers of Jesus, we have the presence of the Lord in us through the Holy Spirit, and He is guiding us, if we will only stop and listen. It's really easy to think we know the right next step. But we can truly trust the Lord, not relying on our own understanding, and He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Part of that process is submitting, confessing His ways as higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and allowing the Lord and His Word to be a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

This month's memory verse

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

– Philippians 2:3-4

Discussion Questions

1. Think about a decision you need to make. How are you seeking the Lord to discover the path He has set for you? Who are the wise counselors around you to help in that decision-making process?

2. Of the Scriptures mentioned or others of your choosing, what truth can you memorize to remind yourself to trust the Lord when you are tempted to move ahead of Him?

3. How can you help others as they are seeking the Lord for next steps?

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Shannon. Absolutely love this- “The passage also reveals that the Israelites were trusting that He was guiding them where He wanted them to be, and they continued to follow Him as He showed His faithfulness.” Q1. See below- plus... I have the blessing of a great CG as well as a bunch of co-leaders in Prodigal that help me walk through one decision after another. And they love me enough to tell me when I’m off and they tell me to back up my choices/decisions with scripture. Q2. Proverbs 3:5-6 is the go-to for me and has been for many years. Blake Homes has a guide that has blessed me and Amy many times; https://www.watermark.org/blog/decision-making-principles Q3. Often when a person says they are going to do this-or-that I ask them how they came to that decision; and I seek the back story that gives them the context to make it. Also, I have learned to ask, “And then what…?”
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Hugh Stephenson

Post-salvation, (2015), I felt like God would give me burning bushes too. Then I thought, “Well maybe they’ll be just smoldering…” “Then, how about just a tangible sign?”. A very learned friend counsels this, (paraphrasing)- “Be aware of when God might be opening a door just a bit of the way, a crack. He may want you to look through that door and see what it leads to. DO NOT GO KICK THE DOOR OPEN! He will let you kick it open if that’s what you want to do. But if it’s not what HE wants then you’ll be sorry. I can look back on a long series of kicked open doors and see that’s exactly what happened. Let HIM take the door and slowly open it. The Holy Spirit will lead you to your response. Then you’ll know if He wants you to walk through it.” I also see a long series of cracked doors where the Holy Spirit quietly spoke to me and I did not kick them open. They closed. Here’s some doors that opened- B-School after college, a blind date with Amy, career path, business decisions, personal decisions, stopping with three children, moving to Dallas, leading us to Watermark, downsizing house and budget, bringing retirement into view.
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Hugh Stephenson

A huge part of the breakthrough was neither a burning bush nor a cracked door. It was learning that my primary focus should not be on “What does God want me to do?”. It should be on knowing Him more fully, (John 14:20). As many messages said, “Seek to know the nature and character of God, His goodness, kindness, and justice. If He is truly good, kind, and just then all He does will be good, kind, and just.” In chapter 9 I see how God is communicating with the Israelites and teaching them more and more of who He is SO THAT they He can dwell in their presence. He is so serious about the Passover that if they don’t observe it, (with the noted exceptions), they will be executed. He is certainly as clear with them as he has been with me/us.
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Michael Sisson

INTRODUCTION “Recall that the Book of Numbers begins with the statement that the LORD spoke to Moses ‘on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt,’ but the events beginning in Numbers 9:1 are said to occur ‘in the first month of the second year’ (cp. Num1:1-2; 9:1-5), >>>which indicates that the book is not written in chronological order.“<<< — Hebrew For Christians https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Behaalotkha/behaalotkha.html COMMENTARY Re: Num 9:6-10 In Psalm 51, we read of G-d’s attitude towards the humble… Psalms 51:17 (NASB) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. We see this epitomized in the circumstances of Numbers 9:1-14, and in G-d’s readiness to accommodate the man earnestly seeking to honor Him with obedience. The dilemma: “Before the Israelites celebrated the Passover, however, a group of men who were responsible for carrying Joseph's coffin (and were therefore tamei [unclean] because of their contact with the dead) asked Moses how they could partake of the ceremony, since under the laws of Passover, they were unfit for the Seder.“ — Hebrew For Christians https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Behaalotkha/behaalotkha.html Num 9:6-7 (NASB) But there were >>>some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day;<<< so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, >>>why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the LORD at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?”<<< G-d’s Solution: Pesach Sheni (Second Passover; Unlike the regular Passover, however, unleavened bread was not required to be eaten the week following Pesach Sheni.) Num 9:10-12 (NASB) “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, >>>‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the LORD. ‘In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ‘They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.<<< Truly we serve a G-d of grace and compassion…a G-d of second chances. Re: Num 9:14 See pp Ex 12:48
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Sue Bohlin

Super devo, Shannon! Thank you. The pattern of looking to God's leading through the cloud either staying or moving is a picture of what abiding looks like. As I heard one pastor direct, "Don't say anything without checking with the Lord first, don't decide anything without checking with the Lord first, don't do anything without checking with the Lord first." The description in this chapter indicates that every day, the Israelites checked the cloud to determine what their day was going to look like: move on, or carry on. Good example for us, today, in what active dependence on the Lord looks like!
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Michael Scaman

God was with them very visibly. They could lift up their eyes and see. For 40 years. First passover was the Exodus. This is the first passover in the journey in the wilderness. The first Passover in the promised land will be near Jericho and the manna will stop. Interesting the cloud sometimes remained only evening through morning. A night rest then keep moving. Lots of work for the temple movers aka Sons of Korah. Follow God for 40 years. All the tribes camped around the tent of meeting with the fire or cloud above. Psalm 68 concerns the movement of the ark. Is starts wit the blessing as the ark moves "may God arise and his enemies be scattered" The ark travels with the people and up Mount Zion and the ark moving up Mount Zion is taken as representing Jesus ascension in Ephesians 4, bringing us with Him. Ephesians takes the Ark as a picture of Christ.
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Amy Lowther

1. I am seeking the Lord through prayer, reading the Bible, sermons from Sunday service, and sharing with others during meet and greets at service and during the devotional time with fellow greeters provided by Frontlines. I go to God and walk with Jesus to approach everything and everyone. This helps me know what I need and what’s available. 2. Philippians 4:13 is a helpful verse. 3. I give them compliments for their sincere efforts, and I give them relevant suggestions which may help them achieve their goals.